Missing Time: Lost and Found
by Trousers in Small Jars
Summary: After years apart, Raoul is finally re-united with his childhood sweetheart the night of the gala and he is having a strange combination of feelings especially when he hears another man's voice coming from Christine's dressing room. Second story in my Missing Time Series, filling in the gaps in the 2004 movie, explanation in my profile.


Missing Time Series: Lost and Found  
A/N- I am FINALLY getting to another story in this series. If you are reading any of my other stories, I will try to update them within the next two months. I just graduated college this year so it's a crazy busy time. I just thought of a small one shot I could do to prove I am not dead and be a good way to get back into writing. This piece covers the bit in the movie after Raoul leaves Christine's dressing room and when he arrives at the opera house the next morning. I just had to write some Raoul goodness to get me in the mood to write some more. If you are new to this series go to the bottom of my bio on my profile for an explanation.

Disclaimer- No.

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Raoul could not believe it. After ten years, he had finally found his childhood sweetheart, Christine Daae center stage at the Opera Populaire. He felt like he was ten years old again as he left her dressing room. He was so giddy and full of joy and perhaps something else. Could it be love? Raoul pushed the thought away as he hurried down the corridor toward the stables. It could not be love, he had only spoken to Christine briefly after the opera. He had loved her as a friend as a child and they had even shared a chaste kiss on the beach as children. His hope was that he would be able to court Christine, which was all the more reason to impress her with dinner tonight. _Although, such a beautiful young woman was likely to have many potential suitors and possibly already had a beau._ he painfully reminded himself.

In his mind, Raoul replayed everything that had happened in her dressing room and he had a thought that made him stop his fast pace and slow a bit. When Christine had been voicing her objections to dinner, he had brushed them off casually. He hoped she did not think he was being arrogant or domineering. He had just been so excited to reunite with his friend and to have a wonderful dinner reminiscing about old times and possibly new beginnings. All he had been thinking about were his wants and not Christine's. It was decided that the first thing he would do when he saw her was to apologize for his ignorance and explain. Raoul was also going to let her know first thing he saw her and give her a chance to back out.

It had seemed just for a moment that Christine had thought the Angel of Music was real. No, that was impossible. She knew as well as he did that it was just a fairy tale. _She was just playing a trick on you and she is a very good actress. _Raoul reminded himself. He arrived at the stable and asked the stable hand to bring his carriage to the back entrance which the performers and crew used. He did not want Christine to bombarded with any fans as she left. He handed the stable hand a few francs and felt a sense of excitement to see Christine again. He practically ran back towards her dressing room and slowed down as he got closer just in case Christine were waiting for him outside her door. He did not want to frighten the poor girl by running straight at her. He suddenly heard a man's deep voice coming from what sounded like Christine's dressing room. Raoul quickened his pace once more. By the time he got to the door to the dressing room, he heard Christine's beautiful voice and Raoul kept his ear pressed to the door for a moment before deciding what to do for if it was a suitor of Christine's, he knew he would have to go home in defeat.

_"Angel of music, guide and guardian, grant to me your glory. Angel of music, hide no longer. Come to me, strange Angel."_

Angel of Music? Christine must be playing a joke on him. As children, they were constantly playing tricks on each other and any adults that got in their way. Raoul turned the knob on the door, prepared to see a smiling Christine on the other side, the door was locked, he jiggled the handle a bit as his heart rate quickened.

"Christine?"

_"I am your angel of music, come to me angel of music." _

He heard the man's voice again, it was almost hypnotic. Raoul was suddenly struck with feelings of fear, anger, sadness and jealousy all at once. Why was the door locked? What did this man plan to do with Christine? He had to find out even if he did not like the answer. He furiously jiggled the handle.

"Christine! Whose is that voice, who is that in there?" He pushed the full weight of his body against the door as maneuvered the handle.

"_"I am your angel of music, come to me angel of music."_

The voice sounded like it was getting farther away. Was he taking her somewhere? And why hadn't he heard Christine respond? He began to panic and moved the handle faster as if it would do anything.

"CHRISTINE! CHRISTINE!" Silence. There was nothing coming from the other side of the door now. "Angel?" They were either gone or had decided to quiet down so he would leave. He felt a heavy weight in his chest and sick to his stomach. He'd had her back only lose her again ten minutes later. Raoul waited in silence a few more moments to see if he could hear anything else between the couple. As he started to walk away, he felt his steps were heavier with the heartbreak he was not experiencing. But how could it be heartbreak? He had spoken to her for five minutes. Could he really be in love or was this just his childhood infatuation? Either way it did not feel good. The whole way home, his thoughts were consumed with Christine and the man's voice he heard. His only hope was that it was not as serious of a relationship as he had perceived. Although, a man and woman locked in a room did sound serious. He knew one thing, he would have to fight for Christine's hand and he planned to. There was no way he could lose her again.

The last time he had seen her was three years for a brief moment at the cemetery, the day of his brother Philippe's funeral which had incidentally fallen on the anniversary of Gustav Daae's death. The funeral had ended and Raoul let his eyes wander to the tomb his own money had paid for years ago. On the steps he had seen a girl with a mass of brown curls. If only his mother had not pulled him away, he would have known where to find her. Raoul shook the memory as he stepped down from carriage, almost amazed that he had been able to get himself home in this state. He did not even remember going to his room, just collapsing on the bed and falling asleep to dream of a girl with a red scarf by the sea.

Raoul awoke the next day in a sweat. He looked down, to realize he had fallen asleep in his suit. He looked on the floor and saw his jacket, vest, cummerbund and shoes littered on the floor. The memory of the night before was still fresh in his mind. He sat up and ran a hand through his tangled hair. Normally, he tied it back before he went to sleep to avoid this issue. That cursed Joel and his bet. He would get him back someday, he swore it. He also realized that it was nearly 10'o clock, several hours after he normally woke. Raoul quickly cleaned himself up before even attempting to go downstairs. He then went straight to his study to find a yellowish envelope on his desk with red skull wax seal and only his name on the other side. He did not recognize the seal at all and thought it was very strange. He opened the letter and it only had a few lines written on it.

_Do not fear for Miss Daae. The angel of music has her under his wing. Make no attempt to see her again._

Raoul was enraged for he knew only two people who could have sent this note. Firmin and Andre, they had been the only ones to see Raoul go into Christine's dressing room and they had obviously been listening at the door. Had they staged that whole scene in the dressing room to keep their patron away from their new prima donna? What business of it of theirs if he wanted to see her. It made him wonder if they had harmful intentions towards Christine after all they did seem awful lecherous the night before. Well, if they though they could take advantage of his sweet Christine, they had another thing coming. Raoul was going down to that opera house right away to give them a piece of his mind.

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A/N- Another piece of the puzzle! YAY! I was also able to reference the previous story written for this series and a future story. I really hope you enjoyed it and continue to follow this series!


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